Along with malachite, Lapis Lazuli is one of the first treasured stones of human kind, and has been mined for over 7,000 years. Its name stems from the Latin word "lapis" meaning stone and from the Arabic word "azula" meaning blue. This treasured blue stone can be found throughout many ancient civilizations. Before a synthetic substitute was created, it was often ground and used as a pigment, making blue paint, "Ultramarine" the most expensive and valuable paint available. For this reason, blue paint was most often reserved for royalty and holy figures such as the Madonna. Much of the worlds Lapis Lazuli is mined from mountains in northern Afghanistan.

Hematite is an iron ore highly popular in bead and jewelry designs. Nearly all Hematite beads on the market are man made materials (ours too), but are still an iron ore and have the same chemical make up as natural hematite. The name Hematite stems from the Greek word "Haem" for blood as natural hematite holds a reddish tint, while commercially available hematite beads do not. Hematite has been used for eons, even by pre-historic man for cave paintings. Man Made Hematite is often magnetized and used in magnetic therapy jewelry. Hematite beads look great with Swarovski crystal or fire polished beads!